Return of the Queen
by IcyLight132
Summary: It's been 30 years now since I've been banished from Neverland. 30 years since the shadow betrayed me. 30 years since Pan took over the island. 30 years since I lost my Lost Girls. But now, I'm back. And I'm willing to do anything and everything to take back what's rightfully mine. Watch out Pan, I'm coming for you, and this time, there's nothing you can do to stop me.
1. Chapter 1

_-Flashback-_

 _I was walking through Neverland, on some uneventful night, just making sure Pan aka Malcolm hadn't caused too much damage. I had walked a few miles when the shadow suddenly approached me. Something seemed rather off about it, but I shrugged it off. "What is it?" I asked it. It usually never approached me unless something extremely important required my attention. It didn't answer, but merely pointed upwards towards the second star to the right. I stared at the star for a moment, unsure of what the shadow meant. Suddenly, I felt myself get hoisted off the ground and into the air. I screamed and yelped trying to see who had caught me. I barely managed to make out the outline of the shadow. I struggled against it, unsure of its motives. My eyes widened as it took me through the star and into the Enchanted Forest. It placed me roughly on the ground in the middle of a clearing and flew away. "You can't do this! Take me back! Now!" I yelled after it, but in vain. It was already too far away. I racked my brain for a reason on why the shadow would do this to me when my mind finally settled on the only possible reason. Peter Pan. He still hadn't understood that Neverland was mine, and mine only. If he thought that taking me to the Enchanted Forest would get rid of me, he was dead wrong. But before I could think of a way to get back, a dark, purple mist engulfed the clearing I was in, and everything went black._

 _-End of Flashback-_

~Thorn's POV~

I stood there on the Neverland shore, watching the island. It had changed, and I didn't like that change. But it didn't matter. As soon as I get rid of Pan, it will all go back to the way it used to be. I smirked as the thought crossed my mind. He may have been able to get rid of me for years, but he definitely didn't plan on my coming back. I closed my eyes and inhaled Neverland's intoxicating aroma. At least that hadn't changed. I opened my eyes and looked around. No one had approached me yet. Apparently Pan didn't have as much control over the island as he had claimed. I walked on through the forest, looking for one specific fairy who would be able to aid me.


	2. Chapter 2

_-Flashback-_

 _I woke up in one of the diner's upstairs bedrooms. I got up and looked out the window. It had been raining outside and an unfamiliar car was parked in the middle of the street. I ran down the stairs, hoping to get some answers. I went up to the front desk where my grandmother gave me a stern look, "Sleeping on the job again, Skylar? You're getting worse than your sister." I didn't get a chance to reply as she was already in the middle of a heated argument between herself and Ruby. I sighed and started clearing out the few booths that had been occupied during the day, while keeping my eye on the strange vehicle in the middle of the road. My brows furrowed in confusion as Henry and another woman stepped out of the car. I had never seen that woman before, but by the many conversations I had had with Henry I could only assume that she was one person: his mother, or his biological one at least. I turned back towards Ruby and Granny, their argument escalating quickly, and sighed. It was going to be a long night._

 _-End of Flashback-_

~Thorn's POV~

I marched through the forest for a while before coming across a tree house. I didn't recall there being a tree house in this area so I climbed up the tree to do some investigating. I slowly opened the tree house's door and walked in. That's when I felt it. A dagger to my throat. "Who are you?" The hostile voice asked. I chuckled recognizing its owner. A hand spun me around and I came face to face with an old friend.

"Tinkerbell, I see time hasn't been kind to you." I remarked. Her eyes widened and her dagger dropped to the ground. She took a step back and I smirked.

"Thorn? How is it possible? You were gone for decades. How are you here? What happened to you?"

"I only have two words for you. Peter Pan. But it doesn't matter now. Just as you remarked, I'm back. And I plan on turning things back to the way they used to be."

She shook her head, "It's not possible. Things have changed Thorn. Pan now rules the island, and with his control over everything, the island itself has changed.

I nodded, "I noticed. That's why I need your help."

I leaned against the wall of the tree house.

She hesitated for a moment before replying, "Okay. What can I do?"

I smirked, "You can do a lot of things, as a matter of fact. First off, you can tell me what happened to my Lost Girls."

Tinkerbell sighed, "They're gone, Thorn. Pan killed every last one of them."

I remained unemotional towards her answer, but anger was slowly raging inside me. Tinkerbell sat down on the floor and stared intently at me, awaiting my reaction. When she realized I wasn't going to provide one, she got up and pulled out a flute from a wooden box hidden away in a corner of the tree house. She quickly handed it to me.

I smirked, "My flute." I turned it around in my hands and looked back up at her, "How did you get it?"

Tinkerbell leaned on the wall, "I convinced Pan not to destroy it."

I smirked and lowered myself to the floor, crossing my legs. I brought the flute to my lips and started playing a soft melody on it.

~Pan's POV~

"Pan!" Felix yelled as he made his way towards me. "That music. What is that?" He asked.

I looked up at him, then at the rest of the Lost Boys. "That is bad news. She's back." I answered.

Felix's eyebrows furrowed in confusion before realization hit him. "You don't mean-?"

I nodded, "Oh yes. But don't worry. I got rid of her once, I can do it again. This time, it will be permanent."

I turned back towards the boys and started playing my pipe to match the distant melody.

~Thorn's POV~

I stopped playing as I heard the distant sound of Pan's pipe. I looked up at Tinkerbell and chuckled. The game was about to get interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

_-Flashback-_

 _Darkness._

 _The first thing I saw._

 _The first thing I remembered._

 _It was everywhere, surrounding me like a cloak. It seemed as if I was floating in midair for there was no ground under me but a black, endless abyss. I turned in my spot, scanning the still nothingness for any sign of life, but to no avail. I closed my eyes shut, hoping to wake up from this horrendous nightmare, only to jump in surprise as I reopened them. There was something in front of me; its figure just as dark as its surroundings, and yet the figure seemed to set itself apart from the darkness around it._

 _I stepped back in fear, then, regaining control of myself, I spoke up, "Who are you?"_

 _There was a pause until the creature replied, "I am what you make of me. I go by many names: a nightmare, a mirage, an illusion. Although, I prefer to be called: the shadow."_

 _I tried not to let my fear ring out in my voice as I asked the shadow my next question, "Where am I?"_

 _It chuckled. A sound so earie it sent chills down my spine and made my heart jolt. "You are wherever you want to be."_

 _My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and, probably sensing it, the shadow went on, "This darkness around you is but a canvas for you to draw on. You can create any place you dream of. All you have to do is imagine it and will it to happen."_

 _I nodded, closed my eyes, and conjured up an island with enchanting oceans, vast skies, and magic at every corner. Then, I opened my eyes again. The sight that was now before me left me speechless. I was standing on a sandy shore, waves lapping against my feet, an immense island before me. I took a step forward, wanting to explore the island, but the shadow stopped me._

 _"_ _Not so fast. I have a deal for you. I will grant you this island on one condition."_

 _"_ _What is it?" I asked, impatient to venture upon the island._

 _"_ _I want your memories."_

 _My eyes widened and I stood aghast, unable to make a decision. But then a thought crossed my mind; I would be able to make new memories, better memories. I quickly accepted the deal and no sooner had I done so than a massive headache overwhelmed me, my whole body shook, and I fell on my side on the sand. The pain and shaking slowly subsided until they were gone completely. I stood back up, now with no memory of anything besides my conversation with the shadow._

 _It seemed quite satisfied for it then spoke up, "I shall grant you a gift which I am certain you will need."_

 _The shadow approached me and blew cold, chilling air onto my forehead. "I give you power over the elements. Air, earth, water, and fire will now be at your mercy."_

 _I nodded, looking down at my hands which were now tingling with unused potential._

 _Not a moment later the shadow disappeared. As soon as it had gone a voice echoed through my head,_ "Your name is Thorn."

 _-End of Flashback-_

~Felix's POV~

With Rumpelstiltskin now here things just got a lot more fun. I can't wait to get my hands on him. Who did he think he was, threatening me and my fellow lost boys? He thinks he's such a big deal and yet he cries over a stupid little doll. Pathetic. I walked on for a while heading for the campsite. Then, suddenly-

Air.

I needed air.

I was choking.

My hands went up to my neck as an invisible force which seemed almost wind-like pushed me up against a tree. I was able to regain my breath but was not able to free myself from the branches now intertwining themselves around my hands, trapping me. Then I heard a dark laugh. A sound I hadn't heard in many years. I looked up in dread as a figure came out of the bushes ahead. It was her. The only person Pan had ever feared. I couldn't believe my eyes. She stepped closer to me, a sly smirk etched on her face.

"Oh poor Felix, need any help there?" She said, mockingly.

I glared at her and didn't respond.

She raised an eyebrow, "What? Cat got your tongue? I don't remember you being so quiet."

I ignored her and spat, "Get me down from here."

She chuckled, "Why would I do that?"

"Because I told you to."

"And who are you to tell me what to do? Last time I checked you're nothing but a little lost boy."

"Times have changed, Thorn. I matter more than you do now. If I don't get back to camp, Pan will come for you."

She glowered at me for a moment then raised her hand.

I gasped. The air was gone again. I struggled to free myself, I struggled to get some air, but it was useless. My vision was getting blurry and I felt myself going numb. Then it all stopped. My vision came back to focus and I saw her staring back at me, amusement written all over her face.

"Remember that. Remember who I am. Never speak up to me like that ever again."

I didn't reply as I panted for much needed air. She continued.

"Pan doesn't scare me, if anything he should be scared of me," she smirked, "and so should you be. You see I haven't forgotten about you, and what you did to Hailee."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" I yelled at her.

She chuckled, "I know enough. I know you pretended to love her just to get close to me and my lost girls. I know she was the one who told you exactly where I was the night the shadow took me away from here. You informed Pan and he instructed the shadow to do what it did." She looked up thoughtfully, "I always knew Hailee would cause trouble. She was naïve. She was the only one of my girls to enjoy juvenile things such as beauty and the likes. Worst of all, she believed in love. That was her downfall. But you and I know better. Love doesn't exist. It's an illusion, a trick of the mind, a lie." She eyed me mischievously and her eyes gleamed with rage and fire, the likes of which I had never seen in anyone but Pan.

She stepped back and within the blink of an eye she was gone. The binds restraining me let go and I fell to my knees on the ground. My shoulders shook violently as I tried to regain control of myself. I couldn't cry. I wouldn't. But I did.

 ** _Isn't it funny? The things we haven't thought about in years still have the ability to make us cry._**


	4. Chapter 4

~Felix's POV~

 _-Flashback-_

 _I stood there and watched._

 _Watched the blood pool over the ground, watched the bodies fall over, watched the shocked expressions on all their faces as he took them all out, a sick laugh emanating from his throat._

 _But mostly, I watched her._

 _I didn't turn around and leave until every ounce of life had drained out of her eyes._

 _I didn't feel anything until I had walked far away from her lifeless corpse._

 _I didn't stop until I was at a safe distance from everything._

 _And then I broke._

 _Moments later, I stood back up and walked away._

 _It was the beginning of a new era in Neverland._

 _No more loving, crying, or hurting._

 _Never again, I swore to it. Never again._

 _And that's how it's been ever since._

 _-End of Flashback-_

Until now.

And I hated her for it.

Hated her and Thorn for making me weak again.

But like Hailee, Thorn's time would soon come to an end.

I was sure of it.

Henry's rescue team had come and were running right into Pan's trap. As I watched them run into the clearing thinking it was Henry they had seen, I heard a low thud on my right side where one of the younger boys was supposedly hidden. Then a second thud on my left, then another, and another still. I looked around wearily trying to make sense of why so much noise was being made when we were supposed to remain quiet. I meant to get down from the tree I was hiding in when I felt something rough pull me down backwards from my perch. My back hit the ground with such force I felt it must've broke. I had no time to recuperate, however, when I was suddenly bound tightly by vines growing out of the ground around me and preventing even the slightest movement I could've made. A figure slowly made its way around me and all I could make out of it before it passed was its sly smirk.

Then there was fire.

I could smell the trees burning, felt the smoke take over my vision and glide over my skin, and heard the frantic voices of the group in the clearing trying to get out of the area now surrounded by flames. Birds fluttered out of sight, creatures scuttled away, and branches snapped as the flames overtook them. Muffled screams were generating from the boys all around me, screams that meant fear, and fear was forbidden.

Then a strange sound added itself to the chaos in the forest. A sound so tranquil I was sure I was imagining it. The distant sound of a flute playing a peaceful melody amongst a burning forest.

Just as a flame grazed my cheek, a hand was pulling me out of the vines. Regaining my composure, I came face to face with Pan, and I was immediately frightened by the expression I saw on him. Never, in all my years in Neverland, had I ever seen him so livid. His anger was so intense that it infected me as well and I was suddenly furious at the fool she had made of us. When he had set loose the rest of the Lost Boys, Pan didn't even bother taking out the flames. He went right to the source of the trouble and we all followed in his wake.

The clearing was now stripped of any living being save for one person, sitting in the very center of the clearing, playing her flute, seemingly unaware of the rapidly deteriorating area around her. Signaling for us to stay back, Pan marched forwards, but before he could even make it near Thorn, a gust of wind shook the trees and she was gone.

Time seemed to stop right then. Pan came to a halt, and none of us dared to move or even breathe for that matter. The forest seemed to calm as well, the very flames which had been so loud and eerie earlier stilled.

And then he screamed. A piercing scream so ominous it rattled the very foundation at our feet and shook the center of Neverland. A scream that caused the winds to rage and the flames to dissipate.

But by the end of it, all that was left was silence.

And I wasn't so sure anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

_-Flashback-_

 _It had been a clear, warm night when the news arrived. The girls didn't hesitate for a moment and ran straight for the cliffs. Sure enough, there she was, lying across the rocks below the cliff, her petite body sprawled out amongst the immense boulders._

 _A trickle of blood smeared her blond hair, falling into her face, the contrast against pale skin so striking. Her eyes were that same shade of blue they had been earlier that evening, only now, glossed over and tinted with lifelessness._

 _I looked away from Mavis's still form and up the cliffs. A strange scent was coming to me with the wind. A scent of dirt, musk, and sweat. The scent of a lost boy._

 _I walked away from the group of girls now surrounding her body and went back to camp, seemingly indifferent to the events that had just been revealed. But a plan had soon made its way into my brain._

 _Blood called for blood, didn't it?_

 _..._

 _"_ _You lying witch!"_

 _"_ _Now, now, no need to get all fussed up about this."_

 _"_ _You gave me your word!"_

 _I chuckled, the absurdity of the statement he had just made ringing in the air._

 _He glared back at me and spat, "I killed him, now I want my freedom."_

 _"_ _You have indeed done what I asked for. Meaning, you are useful. Why would I rid myself of a useful asset?"_

 _His composure seemed to snap and he bolted straight for me._

 _Fool._

 _A quick glance was all it took to liquefy the soil underneath him and encase him in it, leaving only his head and shoulders jutting out of the solidified mass._

 _I then approached him, smirking. "Bold move. A foolish one too. You have just ruined your only chances of survival. It won't be long before Pan and his boys get here. Have fun."_

 _With that, I walked away leaving behind me the sounds of a struggling and screaming Killian Jones._

 _-End of Flashback-_

~Felix's POV~

Sixteen.

That's how many lost boys Pan had lost.

Sixteen.

All dead in the fire.

Sixteen.

The same age Rufio had been when he died.

I gazed intently into the fire as I tried to attend to the severe burn on my cheek.

Another scar, another memory.

Pan sat on the log opposite mine, staring intently into the flames as if trying to absorb them. He seemed serious, intent, different from the lost boy he had been days earlier. Yet, so similar to the one he had been decades ago. Suddenly, as if awakening from a trance, he bolted upright, and chuckled mischievously.

"Come on, boys!" He called out in that same playful tone he usually used. Yet, his eyes betrayed him. However obvious this seemed to me, the others did not seem to take notice of it. He went on, "We have a new game to play. Who's up for a little game of witch hunting?"

Perhaps he wasn't turning back into the same person he had been all those years ago. That person would not have made such a mistake. But who was I to doubt his judgment? Pan never fails. And he wouldn't fail now. Would he?

...

~Thorn's POV~

I sat at the foot of the tree house, contemplating my newest victory. It was merely the start, of course, the first act in a story of my own composition. A story which would render me victorious.

As I plotted, I felt odd vibrations emanating from the ground. Someone was approaching. A light, dull pounding made its way into my sensors rendering me very attentive. Then it suddenly stopped. No sooner had it done so then I felt, and heard, a whooshing sound breaking through the air. Too late in my sensing of it, the arrow barely missed my head by a few inches. And then I was up.

It was easy to spot the intruder. He hadn't been prepared for such a miss and hadn't hidden in quite the right location. Foolhardy, hotheaded, foolish. Exactly what I had trained my girls not to be.

A swift tugging movement of my hands and the insolent boy was now sprawled in front of me, defenseless, having lost his weapons in the drag.

I smiled wickedly at him and bound him to an oak tree, rendering him incapable of the slightest movement. I then looked around.

"For all those of you out here, behold. One of your own is about to pay the price for his trespass. Watch, and let him be an example for any of you even considering stepping out."

I turned my gaze back onto the young boy and placed the palm of my hand over his chest.

The human body is made up mostly of water. There is water in every system, every organ, every tissue, and every cell. The one who controls this water has control over the body. To salvage or to destroy.

I chose to destroy.

The young boy squirmed and screamed as his blood boiled over and his internal organs gave way. A short while later, he was nothing more than a cold, lifeless, bloody lump at the foot of a grand oak. Nothing but compost for a tree.

And that is what the filthy deserve to be.

Apparently, my first warning had not been as successful as I had thought.

Time for a less direct approach.

~Felix's POV~

I froze as the youngest lost boy fell over, lifeless and bloody, onto the cold Neverland ground. The menacing laugh escaping from Thorn's lips was enough to render the lost boys fearful of her warning. Slowly, hesitantly, they dragged themselves away, one by one, from the scene unfolding in front of us. Anger raged in my veins and threatened to send me after every single one of them for their cowardice. Fear was forbidden. They would all be punished, for the loss of a game was not to be tolerated.

My blood froze over as Thorn slowly turned around, and, impossible though it was, her stone cold, fiery gaze landed right on me. I was sure I had imagined it. Yet as I made my way back to camp, I couldn't shake the feeling of how her eyes bore into mine. Mocking, menacing eyes, informing me of horrors yet to come.


	6. Chapter 6

~Felix's POV~

 _-Flashback-_

 _I let Pan sneak over to the clearing the lost girls had taken up as campsite while I tried to find Hailey._

'If you really want to prove your loyalty to me, you have to get rid of her.'

 _I held my axe in my hands and tried to suppress the shaking of my fingers. This was just another one of Pan's tests. This time I was afraid the price would be too much to bear. I tried to calm the nerves bundled up in my stomach and reminded myself that this was just a means to an end to earn pan's trust._

 _I edged closer towards one of the larger oak trees surrounding the clearing and stood still as a figure loomed closer._

 _No, it couldn't be. Not yet._

'You have to kill her. She's messing with your mind and you know it.'

 _I approached Hailey slowly and quietly making sure that she wouldn't notice me. When I was barely a foot away, I hesitated._ _Pan's voice kept resonating in my head, but I pushed it away. I slowly stretched out my hand towards her. Just one last time, I thought. I just wanted to touch her for one last time. Just as my hand was about to make contact with her luscious brown locks and her soft porcelain skin, an ear-piercing scream shot through the air._

 _Hailey jumped, and, finally sensing my presence, she turned around and glanced at me furtively. I stood there frozen under her stare, but I could tell that she knew what I had done. She seemed to want to speak but decided against it and ran off towards the clearing._

 _At a moment's notice I followed behind her._

 _She stood with her mouth ajar staring at the few corpses in front of her and the rest of the lost girls who were fighting Pan off._

 _I grabbed onto her arm and turned her around to face me, "Hailey,-"_

 _"_ _Don't. Just don't, Felix. I am done listen-"_

 _She suddenly stopped, and her face was contorted in a mix of shock and pain._

 _It was only when I noticed the blood spreading through her shirt that I realized what had happened._

'If you fail, I'll do it myself and make you watch _.'_

 _As if to confirm my thoughts, when Hailey's body crumbled to the ground, Pan's figure appeared behind her, a bloodied dagger in his hand._

 _He did nothing else but returned to his previous fight with the other lost girls._

 _As I glanced back at Hailey's body, a sudden thought struck me. I thought of the only person who could've saved her and how it was my fault that that person was gone._

 _In the end, all I did that day was watch._

 _But mostly, I watched her._

 _-End of Flashback-_

I thrust up in my bed and tried to steady my uneven breathing. Wiping away the beads of sweat on my forehead, I looked warily around and took a deep breath.

Another nightmare.

The fourth one this week.

Thorn's return had triggered back an avalanche of dreaded memories that I had suppressed for years.

It was a curious thing what happened to me when I met Thorn again. All I saw when I beheld her for the first time in decades was a reminder that I could've saved Hailey.

But I reminded myself, as I stepped out of my tent, that those were weak thoughts. Thoughts which belonged to a Felix who died long ago and who vowed never to be weak again.

But again, isn't love weakness?

And those who love never forget. I was naïve to think I would.

...

~Thorn's POV~

"No way," The one-handed bloke standing opposite me said.

"Oh come on, don't you trust me?" I teased.

"I would rather cut off my other arm than trust you. How did you get here anyways?"

"Ships are easy to sneak aboard. Especially one piloted by you." I remarked while I jumped off the tree branch I had been perched on.

"Can we cut the chit chat and get to the point?" Regina said, and I was more than glad to oblige.

I made my way over to the small group dispersed around a bonfire and continued, "What I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted is that we need to work together if we want to achieve anything of any consequence around here."

"We already have a map that will lead us straight to Henry. That's all the consequence I need," Emma commented.

I rolled my eyes, "An empty map. A map which if I recall correctly, lead you into quite the sticky situation earlier."

"That fiasco was your fault," Hook said as he glared at me.

"I saved your asses out there. If it wasn't for me you would all be either dead or dying."

Regina scoffed, "We can take care of ourselves. We don't need your help."

"If that's the case, good luck retrieving Henry on your own."

I shrugged my shoulders and feigned indifference as I turned back towards the forest and started walking away.

"Wait, wait."

I smirked as I heard Mary Margaret's voice behind me.

"Look, she's right. We need all the help we can get around here."

"What do you suggest we do?" David chipped in as I seated myself on a log near the fire.

"Keep trying to find Henry in all the ways that you do best and make sure never to alert Pan of any agreement that we may have had. In the meantime, I'll be tying up some tricky loose ends and making sure that nothing goes wrong with your plans."

"What kind of loose ends?" David inquired.

"Old friends and, of course, some interesting new ones." I smirked internally.

"When you say 'new ones' you don't mean Pan's boys do you?" Hook eyed me skeptically. It surprised me how quickly he had deduced that considering I had always thought him the possessor of the brain of a jellyfish.

"Not all of them. Just the one that counts." I replied as I stared intently into the fire.

"Well if that's what you consider doing to help us, well, I'd rather drown right now."

"Considering? It's already done."

"Then where is he?" Emma asked.

"In transition. It'll take some time to rid him of the poisonous thoughts Pan filled his mind with."

"We don't have time," Regina muttered, but her comment was not given any heed.

"How can you be so sure that he'll help?" David asked.

"Let's just say that we share some common ground, and that common ground is eating him up on the inside."

"How do we know that you're not lying to us? That you aren't one of Pan's lost girls or worse?" Regina asked, making a fireball ignite in the palm of her hand and eyeing me suspiciously.

I blew some air softly over in her direction and made the fireball disappear.

"There are no lost girls on this island. Not anymore." I replied as my face took up a blank expression and I kept my gaze trained on the flames before me.

I then nodded towards Hook who was still standing apart from us. "You can ask your one-handed friend over there if you don't believe me. If there is anyone on this whole island who can help you succeed, it's me."

A moment of silence passed by as Emma looked over to Hook, but he seemed too caught up throwing mental daggers at me.

"What's the catch?" He finally spoke up.

"There is no catch."

"Oh come on, I know you and your little games. There's always something in it for you."

"I'll get what I want when all of you are off this island and Pan is dead. The only way to ensure that that happens is if you all get Henry and go about your merry way back to Storybrooke." I replied as I got up from where I was seated and dusted myself off, hoping that this conversation had not been a complete waste of my time.

"You're not coming back with us to Storybrooke, Skylar?" Mary Margaret asked me.

I ignored her question and made my way back into the forest and out of sight. As I walked away, I could still barely make out Hook's following comment.

"That creature over there isn't Skylar, Mary Margaret. It's something much worse."

"Her name is Thorn and she's the devil herself."

...

"It's not like you to form any alliances, Thorn," Tinkerbell commented as I finished climbing up the ladder leading up to the tree house.

"There is too much to do without having to constantly worry about what mess they might get me into. It's much easier this way."

I picked up my flute, took up a seat, and began polishing it. A cold silence reigned on the air for a few moments until Tinkerbell decided to break it.

"You care for them don't you? I never thought I'd see the day."

"And you still haven't seen it. I've learned many things during my time in Storybrooke, but caring was not one of them."

I put my flute aside and looked up towards where she was seated in her white hammock.

"Sometimes having an ally or two doesn't hurt."

I got up and slowly made my way towards the balcony, placing both my hands on the wooden railing. Looking around, I scowled. Darkness. Everywhere. Is this what my island, my home, had come to be?

Not for long, I swear it.

I glanced back towards Tinkerbell who had followed me out and I continued, "Besides, it's not an alliance. It's only a means to an end."

She chuckled and stood next to me, keeping her sights trained on the island. "What could they possibly have to offer you? Besides a headache."

I glanced towards her and slowly shook my head, "Don't you know me at all Tink? I've always wanted what everyone else wanted. The difference is, I want it more."

She turned sharply towards me, "You don't mean-?"

I looked back towards the island and nodded, "They are going to lead me straight towards the heart of the truest believer."

"And once I have it," I paused and wrung my hands into fists.

"I'm going to crush it."


End file.
